NH Gov. Touts Former Mass. Company In Nashua

NASHUA, N.H. (CBS) – New Hampshire Gov. John Lynch was in Nashua on Thursday visiting a former Massachusetts company, one of a number of businesses that have moved their headquarters across the border in recent years.

Gov. Lynch met executives at CCS Presentation Systems, a company that moved to a building on Northeastern Boulevard in June 2010 after a 12-year stay in Chelmsford.

“We want them to be very successful, because ultimately it means they’ll hire more people, create more jobs, and help with economic development,” said Gov. Lynch.

Worker Michael Smith, who is now the warehouse manager at CCS, thanked Gov. Lynch for the program that helped him get his job, after months of being unemployed. The “Return to Work Initiative” began last year.

“We got to try Michael out. He got to try us out, and it was a great fit,” said a company executive.

The initiative allows job seekers to train with a company for up to six weeks and still be able to collect unemployment benefits.

A champion of the initiative, Gov. Lynch said businesses are crossing the border because of the state’s educated workforce and tax-free policies.

“The fact is that we have no sales tax, no income tax, no capital gains, no estate tax. We keep spending down. Our taxes are low,” said Gov. Lynch.

Company President Cheryl Gamst agreed with the governor, citing the state’s “better” workforce.

“We found really good, qualified people here, I think. Much easier than we did in Massachusetts,” said Cheryl Gamst.

Vice President Chris Gamst added that moving to Nashua was a good financial decision for the company.

“And then in addition to the tax incentives, when this area became an economic revitalization zone, that gave us additional tax credits,” said Chris Gamst.

The company has seen a 30 percent growth since leaving Massachusetts, although it still has a sales office in Woburn.

Yes, there is a HUGE demographic change. Commercial real estate is half the price and NH has one of the lowest tax burdens in the U.S. Just ask a business that was in MA and then moved to NH. The State of NH did more for our business in 10 months than the State of MA did in 12 years. We would not have moved, if it didn’t benefit our business substantially.